What caused the miscommunication about the miners deaths at Sago Mine on Jan. 4, 2006?
Sadly, misinformation about accident survivors was leaked from the mine rescue base to family members awaiting news at the Sago Baptist Church. We deeply regret the sorrow caused by poor communications. The word from rescue teams deep inside the mine to the base operations near the entrance of the mine was relayed by walkie-talkie at least four times. Due to the underground atmosphere, radio waves from wireless devices travel limited distances so one rescuer must relay the information to another a short distance away, then that rescuer to another, until word reaches the base. That situation is complicated by the use of oxygen masks and rescue paraphernalia that can hamper listening and speaking acuity. Although the words from the rescue team that first discovered the miners were, 11 items, one alive, it apparently was misinterpreted by someone who overheard the transmission at the rescue base. That information was shared, unofficially, with someone at the church who, apparently, shared
